285.8 

A^i79c 


CONSTITUTION 


.T 


P. 

s  .. 


OF  THE 


FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL 


CHURCH  AND  SOCIETY 


OF  ALTON,  ILL.; 


WITH  SOME  EXPLANATORY  REMA^RKS. 


“Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good.'’ — 1  Thess.  v.  21. 


UNlv  iSlTYOF, 
llUNOtS  LlBRARVi 
A1  UfitiANA-CHAMPAIGN 


ALTON: 

PRINIED  AT  THE  TELEGRAPH  BOOK  AND  JOB  ROOMS, 

1  855. 


The  Constitution  of  the  First  Congregational  Society  of  Alton  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  Secretary,  Mr.  B.  F.  Barry;  and  may  be  found  at  his  place  of 
business,  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Second  streets.  Persons  wishing  to  become 
members  of  the  Society,  can  do  so  by  calling  upon  the  Secretary,  and  signing  the 
Constitution.  Persons  wishing  to  become  members  of  the  Church,  as  prescribed  by 
Art.  VI,  are  requested  to  mention  their  desire  to  the  Pastor. 


CONSTITUTION 


OF  THE 

FIRST  CONGREGATIOXAl  CHURCn  AA'D  SOCIETY  OF  ALTON. 


- - - - 

ARTICLE  I. 

Sec.  1.  This  Society  shall  be  called  The  First  Congregational 
Society  of  Alton, 

Sec,  2.  The  First  Congregational  Society  is  an  association 
of  Christians  for  the  support  of  public  worship,  and  for  the 
general  purposes  of  religious  improvement. 

Sec.  3.  Its  form  of  Church  government  shall  be  Congrega¬ 
tional,  or  Independent;  that  is,  that  it  shall  have  within  itself  all 
the  rights  and  powers  of  self-government,  both  in  its  religious 
and  its  secular  concerns. 

Sec.  4,  It  shall  acknowledge  no  Creed,  or  Articles  of  Faith, 
other  than  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New"  Testament. 

ARTICLE  II. 

Sec.  1.  Until  this  Society  has  a  house  of  wmrship  for  its 
exclusive  use,  every  one  shall  be  considered  as  a  member  of  the 
Society,  and  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  membership,  who 
has  contributed  towards  the  erection  of  said  house  of  worship, 
or  who  has  contributed  towards  defraying  the  regular  expenses 
of  the  Society ;  Provided^  that  he  shall  haVe  signed  his  name  to 
this  Constitution. 

Sec.  2.  Whenever  the  said  house  of  W"orship  is  completed, 
and  the  Society  has  possession  of  the  same,  they  only  shall  be 
considered  as  members  who  are  Pew-holders  therein;  and  the 
rights  of  membership  shall  be  thus  regulated:  First,  In  all 
questions  of  a  religious  nature,  among  W’hich  shall  be  included 
the  electipn  of  Pastor,  every  Pew-holder  who  pays  an  annual 
tax  or  contribution,  shall  have  one  vote.  Second.  But  in  ques¬ 
tions  relative  to  the  disposition  of  the  property,  (real  and  per¬ 
sonal,)  of  the  Society,  none  but  the  owners  of  pews  shall  have 
the  right  to  vote. 


ARTICLE  III. 

Sec.  1.  All  meetings  for  the  transaction  of  business  shall 
be  called  by  public  notice  in  at  least  one  of  the  secular  papers  of 
the  city;  and  the  constitutional  proceedings  of  meetings  so  called 
shall  be  binding  in  law  upon  the  whole  Society. 

Sec.  2.  Nine  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum,  for  the 
transaction  of  ordinary  business;  but  for  the  election  of  a  Pastor, 
and  for  the  sale  or  transfer  of  real  estate,  the  concurrence  of  a 
majority  of  all  entitled  to  vote  shall  be  required. 

Sec.  3.  Any  member  who  is  unable  to  attend  personally  any 
meeting  of  the  Society,  may  vote,  by  means  of  a  written  com¬ 
munication  addressed  to  the  President,  upon  any  specified 
question,  upon  which  he  could  vote  if  personally  present. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Sec.  1.  The  officers  of  this  Society  shall  be  a  President, 
Secretary,  a  Treasurer,  and  a  Board  of  five  Trustees,  all  of  whom 
shall  be  elected  by  ballot,  at  the  first  business  meeting  on  or  after 
the  fifteenth  day  of  October  in  each  year. 

Sec.  2.  All  officers  shall  continue  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
their  respective  offices  until  such  time  as  their  successors  shall 
be  duly  chosen. 

ARTICLE  V. 

Sec.  1.  All  real  estate  belonging  to  this  Society,  including 
the  house  of  worship  and  its  furniture,  shall  be  legally  vested 
in  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to  be  by  them  held,  sold,  or  transferred 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Society,  and  subject  to  its  disposal. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

Sec.  1.  Those  who  unite  together  regularly  to  break  bread 
in  remembrance  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  shall  constitute  the 
Church  as  distinguished  from  the  congregation  of  the  Society. 

Sec.  2.  The  church  shall  have  the  right  and  power  of  making 
its  own  laws,  electing  its  own  officers,  and  regulating  all  its  own 
concerns  :  Provided^  that  it  shall  not  require  of  any  person  who 
wishes  to  join  with  it,  any  other  than  a  profession  of  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  Messiah,  and  of  the  determination  to  obey 
him;  and  that  it  shall  not  by  any  of  its  laws  infringe  upon  the 
rights  of  this  Constitution,  secured  to  other  members  of  the 
Society. 


(5) 


Sec.  3.  In  meetings  of  business,  church  members  shall  not 
have,  by  virtue  of  their  so  being,  any  additional  rights  :  except 
that  every  church  member  shall  have  the  right  to  vote  in  the 
election  of  a  Pastor,  whether  he  is  a  Pew-holder  or  not. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

Sec.  1.  This  Constitution  may  be  amended  in  any  section  of 
any  article,  except  in  the  four  sections  of  the  first  article,  which 
shall  not  be  capable  of  amendment  or  alteration;  nor  shall  any 
addition  be  made  to  the  Constitution,  by  which  the  spirit  of  either 
section  of  said  article  is  infringed. 

Sec.  2.  All  propositions  to  amend  this  Constitution  must  lie 
upon  the  table  at  least  two  weeks  before  they  are  acted  upon; 
and  the  concurrence  of  a  majority  of  all  entitled  to  vote  shall  be 
necessary  to  engraft  an  amendment  upon  the  Constitution. 


EXPLANATORY  REMARKS. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing,  that  the  aim  of  the  First 
Congregational  Society  of  Alton  is  to  build  up  an  un-sec¬ 
tarian  church  of  Christ,  upon  a  platform  as  broad  and  catholic  as 
his  teachings;  and  inspired  in  all  its  parts  by  the  divinest  of  his 
pre-eminent  characteristics — Love.  To  accomplish  this  purpose, 
we  do  not  permit  any  creed  to  be  offered  as  authoritative,  other 
than  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament;  and  make 
the  desire  for  righteousness  of  life,  the  test  of  fitness  for  mem¬ 
bership,  rather  than  run  what  we  conceive  are  the  fearful  risks 
attendant  upon  the  demand  for  a  profession  of  entire  perfection, 
either  of  life,  or  of  opinion.  If  we  are  Unitarians  or  Trinita¬ 
rians,  therefore,  it  is  as  the  result  of  personal  investigation,  and 
individual  decision;  for  the  adoption  of  either  view  cannot,  by 
the  Constitution,  be  made  a  test  of  our  fellowship,  provided  it 
comes  as  a  result  of  a  faithful  and  earnest  searching  of  the 
Scriptures,  with  the  determinafion  to  find  the  Iruth.  Let  it  be 


(6) 


understood,  then,  that^there  is  nothing  in  the  platform  of  our 
organization,  to  exclude  an  honest  and  conscientious  Trinitarian, 
nor  any  other  Christian  man  or  woman,  whatever  may  be  their 
personal  convictions  of  doctrinal  matters. 

For  ourselves,  we  demand  “the  Bible  and  the  right  of  private 
judgment”  as  our  birth-right.  We  are  subjects  of  no  hierarchy, 
and  fettered  by  no  human  creed.  We  will  sacrifice  freely  for 
our  convictions;  but  we  will  not  have  anything  in  our  midst  that 
can  narrow  our  feelings  towards  one  of  God’s  children,  or  chill 
our  sympathy  with  Holiness,  Love,  and  Truth,  wherever  we 
find  them.  We  believe  that  there  are  objects  more  pressing,  and 
truths  more  vital,  in  the  actual  sins  and  needs  of  the  race,  than 
are  to  be  found  in  the  dreams  of  speculatists;  and  that  it  is  a 
singular  mistake  to  demand  entire  uniformity  of  opinion  upon 
the  great  truths  and  unsearchable  'themes  of  God  and  Christ, 
and  Human  Nature,  when  the  strictest  and  most  literal  of  men 
will  look  for  a  diversity  of  opinion  upon  the  minor  topics  of 
business  and  politics,  as  perfectly  natural  and  right,  and  agreeable 
to  public  harmony  and  well-being. 

We  have  set  out,  accordingly,  with  the  belief  that  where  God 
and  Christ,  and  the  Scriptures,  are  reverenced,  and  the  soul  is 
engaged  in  an  honest  search  for  truth,  then,  in  the  language  of 
Colerida’e,  “in  the  strictest  sense  of  essential,  this  alone  is 
essential  in  Christianity,  that  the  same  spirit  should  be  growing 
in  us  which  was  in  the  fullness  of  all  perfection  in  Christ  Jesus.” 
Our  existence  is  a  plea  for  Christian  liberty;  and  our  design  a 
two-fold  one :  to  become  exemplars  of  true  “liberality;”  and  to 
aid  each  other  in  cultivating  the  religious  natures  which  our 
Heavenly  Father  has  bestowed  alike  upon  all.  We  are  not  a 
sect;  and  therefore  we  have  no  sectarian  pettinesses  of  ambition 
to  serve.  We  are  simply  servants  and  followers  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  reverently  receiving  and  striving  to  practice  the 
teachings  of  his  revelation,  each  one  for  himself.  We  respect 
every  man’s  personality  as  sacred,  and  look  upon  his  theories  as 
his  personal  property;  and  if  they  have  become  his  as  the  results 
of  an  honest  search  for  truth,  and  exist  in  connection  with  a 
devout  Christian  spirit,  we  deem  him  a  member  of  the  great 
Catholic  Christian  church,  to  which  we  are  also  permitted  to 


belong.  We  wish  to  demonstrate  practically,  that  men  of  various 
opinions  may  be  of  one  spirit,  and  that  the  firmest  and  most 
reliable  bond  of  union,  is  that  which  is  centred  not  in  the  brain, 
but  in  the  heart. 

We  take  no  pains  to  make  proselytes,  because  we  believe  in  the 
eternity  and  Omnipotence  of  Truth;  but  if  we  can  aid  any  one  to 
clearer  perceptions  of  Divine  truth,  or  to  higher  attainments  in 
character,  or  to  deeper  religious  convictions,  we  rejoice  to  do 
it;  and  would  have  all  the  earnest  and  liberty-loving  and  devout 
to  join  us.  We  desire  to  make  the  church  the  bond  of  philan¬ 
thropy:  and  while  not  expecting  to  gain  heaven  by  our  poor 
services  to  humanity,  we  should  at  least  be  ashamed  to  enter 
there  without  having  endeavored  to  work  in  our  day  and  genera¬ 
tion.  We  need  and  are  glad  to  have,  the  co-operation  of  all  who 
can  find  an  union  sufficiently  strong  for  them  in  the  Bible,  the 
Christian  Religion,  Liberty  of  Conscience,  and  Work. 

Misunderstood  and  misrepresented  we  have  been,  (though  we 
hope  not  intentionally,)  but  w^e  have  set  our  duty  before  us,  and 
God  helping,  we  will  discharge  it.  We  cherish  no  antagonistic 
spirit  toward  our  fellow  Christians;  and  if  we  have  erred  in 
believing  that  perfection  has  never  been  attained  by  the  church 
militant,  we  have  at  least  only  fallen  in  the  same  mistake  -with 
that  godly  man,  Robinson,  who,  when  blessing  the  departing 
Pilgrim  Fathers  at  Delft  Haven,  gave  them  that  memorable 
charge,  which  has  resulted  in  the  present  ecclesiastical  and  doc¬ 
trinal  freedom  of  the  first  church  in  Plymouth,  in  which  he  ut¬ 
tered  his  conviction  that  “God  had  yet  more  light  to  let  intoThe 
world.”  To  the  earnest — the  sincere — the  lovers  of  God  and 
of  man,  we  .offer  the  invitation:  “Come  thou  with  us,  and  we 
will  do  thee  good.” 


J5  0  0  K  S  . 


Service  Books  may  be  obtained,  in  every 'style  of  binding,  at  the  store  of  Metcalf 
&  Hibbard:  who  also  keep  on  hand  a  large  assortment  of  the  literature  of  Liberal 
Christianity,  among  which  are  the  following : 

CHANNINQ’S  WORKS. 

CHANNING’S  MEMOIR. 

LIVERMORE’S  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 

ELIOT’S  LECTURES  TO  YOUNG  MEN. 

ELIOT'S  LECTURES  TO  YOUNG  WOMEN. 

ELIOT’S  DISCOURSES  ON  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD. 

WORKS  OF  HENRY  WARE,  Jun. 

MEMOIRS  OF  MARY  L.  WARE. 

DEWEY’S  WORKS. 

NOYES’^TRANSLATIONS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

CLARK  ON  PRAYER. 

CLARK  ON  FORGIVENESS. 

BIBLE  NEWS,  BY  NOAH  WORCESTER. 

SEARS  ON  REGENERATION. 

WARE’S  FORMATION  AND  PROGRESS  OF  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 
CHANNING’S  THOUGHTS. 

FARR’S  PRAYERS. 

ALSO-A  new  book  by  Rev.  W.  D.  Haley  :  WORDS  FOR  THE  WORKERS— 
price  Fifty  Cents. 


